Love is a leap of faith
by brucasroks
Summary: A tale of four best friends who are about to discover true love. Brooke, Haley, Peyton and Rachel are all going to find out that people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end.


A tale of four best friends who are about to discover true love. Brooke, Haley, Peyton and Rachel are all going to find out that people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end.

Here's what you guys need to know. Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, Haley James and Rachel Gatina are best friends. They are the all filthy rich and graduating from the prestigious Tree Hill High which is one of the best private schools in the state of North Carolina. Lucas and Nathan Scott are twin brothers. Lucas is really shy and hasn't had a girlfriend yet (he's NOT gay) while Nathan is the ultimate heart breaker. Both play basketball and are star players of their high school. The next chapter is going to take place after five years.

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People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end

"OH MY GOD! I cannot believe we are actually graduating. It feels like we started our senior year yesterday. How can we graduate so fast?" Brooke started her ramblings. "Brooke, come on don't start all over again. You've been complaining continuously for the past few days about how short our senior year was. We're graduating Brooke not witnessing the end of the world. Besides weren't you the one who could not wait to get out of Tree Hill? What is wrong now?" Peyton said getting irritated with her best friend.

"But that was when we were still seniors and I was still the student body president and all of us were still in the cheerleading squad and I was still the cheerleading captain. Now I can see everything disappearing right in front of my eyes. Gawd! This has to be some kinda nightmare. I don't want to leave high school and go to some boring college where no one knows me and I don't have any friends. I cannot believe that we are not going to be together as well. Ughhhh! You know what Peyton, this is just as bad as witnessing the end of the world because I know my life is ending right about now. I mean-" Brooke was interrupted.

"BROOKE PENELOPE DAVIS, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T STOP TALKING RIGHT NOW I WILL THROW YOU OUT THE WINDOW" Rachel exploded all of a sudden. Brooke went quite. They were all in Peyton's room trying to get ready for graduation.

"Thank god, ok now listen to me Brooke the world is not ending and neither is your life. We're just graduating. Come on, how bad can that be? I know I am happy. I know tutor girl right there is happy. I know Peyton is happy and I even know that deep down inside you're the happiest among us. Then why in the hell are you fussing about this so much?" Rachel continued.

Brooke didn't say anything for a while. Then she began "Because... I don't want to leave Tree Hill. I don't want to leave my parents or my room. I don't want to leave the people I love behind. I don't want to be away from my best friends. I don't want to go anywhere. I want to be who I am right now. Leaving would mean starting what I have here all over again some place else and I don't want that. It means I have to start from scratch and I am afraid that this time around I might not find what I found in Tree Hill."

"Brooke, we know it's hard but this is how it is. We had the times of our lives here in Tree hill but that doesn't mean this is the best thing that has ever happened to you. There is so much more left to live and after graduation you are going to start your real life. We've had our fun and lived the lives anybody would kill to live. But things change right? You just have to adjust yourself to the new things and the new place." Haley joined Peyton and Rachel in comforting Brooke.

"And about the best friends being away part, I don't think that is going to happen. Come on Brooke, we're all going to New York. You're going to a fancy law school, I'm going to a fancy art school, Haley is going to Columbia University, on full scholarship, I might add and Rachel is just moving to New York to pursue acting. New York might not be the smallest place in the world but that isn't stopping us from getting together all the time and crashing every place we can. Trust me Brooke, we're not gonna be away from each other. We've been together since kindergarten and no matter what we will always be together. That's what best friends do, right? They always stick with each other. And that is exactly what we are going to do." Peyton finished satisfied that she had given her best friend a very plausible reason to feel better.

Brooke looked up at her three best friends who had had her back since childhood and couldn't help but smile. They were her rocks who had managed to make her smile even in her darkest times. They had been there for her all her life. She could still remember Haley tutoring her and making her work hard to improve her grades in junior year and Peyton slapping a guy who had mistreated her. Then there was Rachel. Rachel was the last person Brooke had expected to be friends with in kindergarten. Both being stubborn and spoilt rotten by their filthy rich parents, had gotten off on the wrong foot. They could not even stand each other in the beginning but as soon as they were old enough to understand things they had been best of friends. Many girls in Tree Hill High had tried to break the foursome but all their efforts of destroying their friendship would always go to vain. They were true to each other and knew that any of them would never do anything to hurt the others. As she reminisced their childhood all three of them came to pull Brooke into a big bear hug. She was taken so aback that a tear slowly slid off her cheek but she quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to spoil this moment or this day. Her friends were right. Although she was afraid and reluctant to leave her small home town, she was dying to step foot on the "real world". She thanked god for giving her the best friends that she had and pulled out of the bear hug.

"I cannot imagine my life without you guys. Thank you so much." Brooke said.

"For what?" Haley asked.

"For making me feel better today, for having my back all the time, for making me smile like a Cheshire cat at times I could not stop wailing, for making all the boring charity events interesting enough, for making Tree Hill High worth the while……for everything guys. I love you all so much for all the things that you've done for me and for the others. I don't know what is going to happen with our dysfunctional lives but I know one thing for sure and that is you guys are always going to be my best friends…….no matter what happens." Brooke finished.

"We know that Brooke, we know that very well." Rachel added. "We're best friends forever right."

"That we are." Haley said. "Always will be." Peyton approved.

"OK, now that you guys have made me feel better, can we start getting ready for the graduation?" Brooke asked in her usual bubbly self. The three girls burst into fits of laughter. "What?" Brooke asked innocently. "It's just that no matter what you are always gonna be you, nothing is going to change you and here you were a little while ago afraid of facing the world being yourself." Peyton stated. "Heh, not funny!" Brooke said sticking out her tongue to them.

Brooke knew Peyton was right. No one or nothing could ever change her or at least she hoped so.

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The ceremony had just finished. It had been wonderful. Everything from the valedictorian's speech who was Haley, by the way, to the throwing of mortarboards in the air had been great. Even the setting of stage and the curtains was beautiful. The kids felt like an era had come to an end but their parents knew that a new era had just begun. Everybody had been honored and all the parents were busy snapping pictures of their kids. Many mothers had shed tears; many fathers had clapped their kids' back with sheer pride. It seemed like everything was coming to an end.

"Finally everything is over. I still cannot believe it." Brooke sighed. They were sitting in one of the corners of the hall going through the crowd that was in front of them. "Hey guys, what's up?" Jake came from nowhere and joined the four girls. "Hey Jake, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to go with the guys to your "aftermath of the graduation party"?" Peyton asked her boyfriend emphasizing on the last few words.

Jake Jagielski and Peyton Sawyer had been going out since the beginning of senior year. It was still interesting to think how they actually got together. Jake had this longtime girlfriend Nikki(she didn't go to Tree Hill High as she was two years older than Jake and the whole gang) whom Peyton had met in an art camp. Peyton had gotten pretty close with Nikki in the camp as none of her other friends were there. Peyton even had a small crush on this guy in the same camp and she had told Nikki about it. But then Nikki, who was a major bitch, had gone ahead and hooked up with that guy. The guy meant nothing much to Peyton but she came to know of the real Nikki after this incident. So, technically Jake and Peyton had one thing in common: they were both betrayed by Nikki. They were friendly to each other when they first began talking which was after the whole Nikki drama. They used to chat online and one evening Jake poured his heart out to Peyton about Nikki's betrayal. Jake never used to talk of Nikki in the beginning so Peyton always assumed that Jake was just like any other guy who could care less about a girl. But that day changed everything. Peyton saw this side of Jake which was totally appealing to her. She gave him support when he needed it the most. Because of Nikki, Jake and Peyton got closer. They would both have long conversations about what should be in a relationship and what should not. By the end of junior year, they knew each other very well and when Jake asked Peyton out she was the happiest girl on the face of earth.

"Oh, I see my beautiful girlfriend is bitter. Well, let me answer your question first then I'll think of some way to make it up to you. Nathan and Lucas' dad went off when he found out that they had stolen the keys to the beach house. The old man couldn't even be a little nice on his sons' graduation day. Every time I think that this guy cannot get worse, he just goes ahead and proves me worng."

Jake was right. Dan Scott was the much feared evil puppet master of Tree Hill. He was one of the meanest people in Tree Hill, no wait a minute scratch that, one of the meanest people in the whole wide world. He was one the richest of the rich in Tree Hill. The man, Dan Scott, was the president of Scott Corporations which was a very well known juggernaut in his line of business. Dan Scott was cruel and ruthless until it came to his family. The Scotts owned car dealership chains all over North Carolina and not to mention the ever growing chain of Karen's Cafe, Mrs. Karen Scott's very own baby. Karen had begun Karen's Café in Tree Hill right after Lucas and Nathan were born. Being the self determined young business graduate that she was she had quickly gained success, so she had expanded her cafes. The cafes were so successful that it had expanded beyond the state of North Carolina. That was something Dan Scott had been proud of. He loved his wife with all his heart. Many people expected him to be bitter about Karen being more successful than him but he was nothing but proud of his hardworking wife. Karen was a very wonderful woman herself. Although she had such a successful business running, she never let work come in between her private family time. She was a great wife and a caring mother. Then there was Keith Scott and his wife Jules Scott. Keith was the vice president of Scott Corporations and Jules was a very successful fashion designer. They had no children but loved Lucas and Nathan as if they were their own children.

Then there were the younger Scott brothers. Lucas Scott and Nathan Scott were twins, of course not identical. As much as they were similar, they were equally different. Both were star basketball players of their high school, both had amazing blue eyes legacy of their beautiful mother Karen, both were immensely popular and handsome. But Lucas was blonde when Nathan had jet black hair, Lucas was into literature when Nathan was more into play stations, Lucas was shy when Nathan was the ultimate play boy. Lucas hadn't had a single girlfriend throughout his time in Tree Hill High when Nathan had managed to go out with every girl that threw herself at him. When they were young, both were sent to an all boys boarding school. They just started going to Tree Hill High in the beginning of their senior year. Many girls who were turned down by Lucas thought he was gay but a few others who had brains knew that the transformation from going to an all boys school to a co-ed school had been hard for him. He was just coming out of his shell. On the other hand, the transition from the same sex school to a co-ed institution had been Nathan's dream come true. He had always loved girls and had hated his previous school. He was caught many times sneaking out of the school premises to take girls out. So, to say the least Lucas was the shy and sweet guy whereas Nathan was the ultimate heartbreaker. The brothers got along really well and loved their parents even though their father would make it hard for them to breathe some times.

Brooke saw Lucas talking to his parents in a little distance. She had always found Lucas Scott cute but she had way too much dignity to ask him out and then be turned down. She knew that any guy would never miss an opportunity to go out with BROOKE DAVIS but Lucas was different and she knew for sure that he was not gay. He was just taking his own time to cope with the adjustments. She had always felt that during their senior year she would somehow get him to go out with her but to her dismay that had never happened. One of the reasons for her being disappointed with high school being over was Lucas. With high school being over both Lucas and Brooke would go their own way and their paths would never cross again. Without even arousing any suspicion, she had skillfully slipped it out of Jake that both Nathan and Lucas were going to some big business school in Boston. It was surprising; the way Lucas Scott had intrigued her and still continued to do so. She had talked to him a few times and he was such a sweet heart. He would blush and shy away (of course NOT in a girlish way) when she approached him. It was because of Lucas that she had not had a serious relationship this year. Brooke had had a few flings that meant nothing to her.

"So, what are you girls gonna be doing this evening?" Jake asked cheerfully pulling Brooke away from her day dreams. "We're just having a sleepover at Brooke's place and you are not allowed there." Peyton barked. "Come on, make me a happy man Peyton. There is nothing more wonderful than to crash you girls' slumbers." Jake said mischievously. "Oh Jake you're welcome to the sleepover as long as you agree to let us paint your toe nails and to get your legs waxed." Rachel said with an evil grin. "Hey Rachel, I was just fooling around. Girls stop dreaming about me crashing your little sleepover because that is not gonna happen." Jake said jokingly. "Ok now I gotta run alrite. Peyton I'll call you tomorrow, you guys enjoy your little party and I'll enjoy mine." He pecked Peyton and turned to leave. "But I thought you said there was no party tonight for you guys." Peyton was confused. "I just said that the party was not going to be in the Scott beach house." Jake winked and left.

Jake went to Lucas and the guys left after a while. Brooke could not stop looking at Lucas as he went away with all the guys. "So, someone is still not over Mr. Scott." Rachel commented after she caught Brooke glancing at a leaving Lucas. "Huh, what?" Brooke asked. "OMG, you are so much in love with Lucas Scott that you cannot even hear me now. This is so tragic. My best friend has gone deaf over the love of her life." Rachel continued dramatically. "Rachel, have I told you lately how naturally gifted you are? You are like Tree Hill's very own teenage drama queen. You can even beat Lindsay Lohan. I tell you Rachel, they should've made _Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen_ on you not her." Brooke said sarcastically.

"Says who? The girl who is dramatically hung over this gay guy in our school because of whom she didn't even care enough to go out with any other guy this year." Haley backed Rachel. "Haley James, since when did you start being so mean?" Brooke acted hurt. "Umm, let me think. Oh, ya since one of my best friends started hiding her feelings from me." Haley added. "Hey guys, I'm not hiding anything. What are you talking about Haley?" Brooke replied nonchalantly not once looking at Haley. "Anyways, people have started leaving as it's getting dark. My parents already left a while ago so let's get going. We have a lot to do before the sleepover, remember?" Brooke continued without giving any of the three a chance to talk.

"Hello! Why are you still sitting down? It's shopping time remember?" Brooke said getting up. The girls knew better than to argue with Brooke right now, so they let it go, at least for now.

The girls spent the rest of the evening shopping. When they were little, all of them would use their huge pocket money to buy different stuffs that would be otherwise irrelevant to kids. Brooke was the one always buying eye shadow and lip gloss telling the shopkeeper it was a birthday gift for her mom. Peyton would buy black nail polishes and t-shirts with weird and sometimes creepy pictures. Haley would buy thick romantic novels which were way too "romantic" for her age and Rachel would always opt for the latest movies in DVDs. At a tender age of 10, these girls had already grown up enough. Now, they were 18 and not ready to admit that they finally had to grow up for real. The girls tried to distract themselves by shopping. They hunted down all the latest dresses, lingerie, shoes, lip gloss and so on. After raiding almost all the shops in the mall the girls decided to go to Brooke's place. The ride from the mall to Brooke's place was silent which was totally not like them. None of them spoke as each of them was deeply immersed in their own thoughts about what would happen now. All of them had dreams and aspirations.

Brooke Davis had always wanted to be a fashion designer. She loved creating her own designs and making them for her and her three best friends but that was all that she ever did. Although she had the talent and the connections to be successful in the world of fashion, she wanted to go to law school. Brooke was the kind of girl who was always in the search of something more. She liked challenges and testing her limits. When she stood for the Student Body President, nobody believed she could win. Of course she was one of the most popular people in Tree Hill High but everybody knew that wasn't enough to make her win the election. People always mistook Brooke. Not many people knew the real Brooke Davis. People just knew that Brooke was beautiful and popular and they knew which guys she had dated and which parties she went to. What they didn't know was that Brooke was as beautiful inside as she was outside. She was one of the most wonderful people. Although she didn't show it, she loved her family. She loved doing simple things like eating ice cream with her besties every Friday night at Haley's sleepovers. People thought she was this superficial bimbo with nothing but pride: pride for her beauty and for her parents' money. That's where they all were wrong. Brooke was so much more than that and people only saw that when her friend Mouth spoke in front of everyone to support Brooke. He said things that made Brooke's heart melt. She knew Mouth McFadden was a very good guy. What she didn't know was that Mouth also had a never ending crush on her since their junior year. Anyways, Brooke won the elections, thanks to Mouth. Going to law school was something similar to standing for the student body president. She knew it would be easy in the line of fashion so she had decided against it. It was not fun or challenging enough for Brooke. Moreover, she didn't need to go to a fashion designing school to be a designer. She wanted to go to law school and read thick books on law and test her self. She wanted to know if she could really be something by studying really hard. And in case, the whole law school thing didn't work out, she could always start designing again. She was content at this point. She was moving to New York to study law in one of the most prestigious law schools in all of the United States. Her best friends were going to be near her even if they weren't with her. She was going to get the freedom she always wanted. She would be on her own. She was going to be a grown up. That was fascinating to her. To live all by herself and to be her own parent. She was definitely satisfied.

Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer had had a keen interest in music and art for as long as she could remember. She would make sketches to express herself. Art, for her, was a medium of expressing herself. She wasn't your stereotypical popular teen. She was the mixture of all the unlikely things. She was a cheerleader yet she listened to punk music, she was one of the most popular people in their high school yet she was dark and moody at times, she was beautiful and had killer legs yet all she wore were jeans, simple tees and a leather jacket. Peyton Sawyer was one of her kind. Being the, rebel without a cause, that she was she never listened to her family. She was the happiest one to leave her family behind her. Not that she didn't love them, she just couldn't take their naggings and rants. They had always wanted Peyton to be like them: medical doctors but science was the last thing that interested Peyton. She was more like a rebel than the typical good girl her parents wanted her to be. Going to New York was like a dream come true for her. She knew what she wanted and knew that she was going to get it.

Rachel Gatina was the "bad girl" of Tree Hill High. If Nathan was the ultimate play boy then Rachel was the ultimate play girl. Many people didn't like her as she was a very straightforward and frank person. She always told you things the way they were. For Rachel, sugar coating things were as bad as lying. She was also had one of the lowest GPAs in their class but that never bothered Rachel because she knew she didn't need a 4.0 GPA to become an actress. As Brooke said earlier, Rachel was a drama queen. She had stared in every musical or play since middle school. When it came to acting and performing no one could beat her. Hell! She could give Nicole Kidman the run for her money. Rachel was really that good without any professional training and now after a few months she was going to make all her dreams of becoming an actress come true. She was going to New York where she would kick ass to act. She was the only one among the four who was not attending college. Her parents owned a pent house in New York but even then she had insisted that she be on her own. Her parents were proud of their daughter even if she hadn't graduated high school with flying colours. They knew their daughter was going to make a name for herself in her own terms.

Haley James was the good girl of Tree Hill High. Many people wondered how she could be friends with the other three. Many parents even warned her parents to keep Haley away from the other three but Haley's parents knew the girls weren't that bad. They didn't want to keep Haley away from them because they knew Haley wouldn't be able to take it. The girls were like sisters. They were inseparable and Haley's parents knew better than to break them up. Moreover, Mr. and Mrs. James liked Brooke, Peyton and Rachel. They couldn't see why people would call them a bad influence on Haley. Haley was the best student in Tree Hill High. She had gotten into Columbia University on a full scholarship to study journalism. Like the rest of them, Haley was excited about going to New York. She knew New York was the one place which could make all her dreams come true. Haley wanted a career in music. Although she had taken up journalism as a major, she wanted to be a musician. She was the little diva of Tree Hill and when she took up journalism as a major in college many people were shocked. For Haley education was as important as music. She wanted to have a college degree before chasing her dreams of becoming a singer. After graduating from college, she would start playing in different places in the hopes of getting a record deal. Many would call her plan a bad one; many would even say that she just wanted to do it to prove what an over achiever she was. But, Haley was never affected by what people thought about her. She knew she was doing the right thing and all her friends supporting her decision made her even more confident.

As Brooke pulled her car into her never ending driveway, all of them were pulled out of their thoughts. Taking all the shopping bags they entered the Davis household. Brooke's house was one of the largest in all of Tree Hill. All of the four beautiful teenagers were filthy rich but Brooke Davis' parents made sure that it showed. Their house was a real beauty. It was like a small palace. The main door was painted red. That was why Brooke was called the girl behind the red door from time to time. The interior of the house was done by a very well known interior designer who was called from California just to do the Davis home. The walls had elaborate designs on them. There were beautiful crystal chandeliers in every room and Brooke's room was a completely different story. Her room was huge; it was all done in pink and white. In the middle of the room lied Brooke's round bed which was raised a little by a few steps which were around the bed. There were huge windows that were curtained by pink and white coloured curtains. She had a walk in closet which would be every girl's dream if they knew about it. She even had a balcony connected to her room. Only one word could describe Brooke's room and that was magnificent.

The girls entered the room and Brooke and Rachel threw themselves on the bed while Haley and Peyton collapsed on Brooke's pink couch.

"I'm dead tired." Haley said breaking the silence after a long time.

"So am I. I could stay here like this forever." Rachel continued standing up. "Ow! My heels are dead. Seriously, they're dead. Walking through the doors of each and every shop in the mall in high heels is not what my heels love the most."

"That's right, then why do you always walk around in those things?" Peyton asked amused.

"You know why people walk around in high heels Peyton; because everyone is not as tall as you are. Moreover, shoes are the best things that could ever happen to girls." Brooke replied throwing a pillow at Peyton who was the tallest among the four.

"Watch it Davis. If I were you then I would never a pick a pillow fight with the warrior of pillow fights: the great Peyton Sawyer." Peyton said pretending to be some kind of warrior.

"Oh yeah? I'm not afraid of anyone named Peyton Sawyer." Brooke retorted throwing another pillow at Peyton.

"You've done it." Peyton immediately stood up and threw another pillow at Brooke and the girls started hitting each other with the pillows. Haley and Rachel joined almost immediately. It was going to be a fun night.

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"Ok, was that the creepiest movie ever or what?" Brooke managed after she turned the television off. They had just watched _The Grudge_ and all of them were dead scared.

"I think I am going to agree with you Brooke." Haley replied staying under the sheets.

"Haley come on out. Brooke already switched the TV off." Rachel commanded pulling the sheets off Haley.

"Hey! I was just searching for my lucky penny that slipped out of my pocket." Haley answered.

"Ya, like we buy it." Peyton started teasing Haley.

"Are you guys implying that I was so scared to watch the movie that I hid under the sheets?" Haley inquired getting irritated.

"Sort of. Come on Haley, you know that we know how much Japanese horror movies creep you out and this movie was a remake of a Japanese horror flick. It's okay to get spooked once in a while." Brooke tried to soothe Haley.

"Ok ok ! I freaked out alrite. That movie was really really spooky." Haley admitted. "Remind me again, why I wanted to watch this movie here with you guys?"

"That would be because you worship Sarah Michelle Gellar." Rachel reminded her.

"Oh yes. Rachel when you become one of the hot shots in Hollywood you are so making me meet her." Haley said cheerfully.

"Yes ma'am." Rachel said saluting Haley.

"So, Brooke what are we doing next?" Peyton asked.

The girls had called a truce on the pillow fight. Peyton, as usual, had only agreed after they declared that she was still the bravest warrior among them. Then, they all had changed into their pajamas and done each other's hair and make up. They had even finished two large buckets of ice cream while watching the movie.

"You guys are going to love what we are going to do next." Brooke squealed with excitement. She went to her closet and brought something that they hadn't seen since middle school. The Questioning bowl.

"Oh my god, Brooke is that the questioning bowl?" Haley asked with eyes wide open. "I hadn't seen it for ages."

"Ya, what are you doing with it?" Rachel said.

"I just figured we could do something we haven't done in ages to mark our graduation night." Brooke replied happily.

"That's great, Brooke. Wow, we haven't done the questioning bowl thing since middle school. Why did we stop doing it again?" Peyton asked.

"Oh, that would be because our lives got more eventful after we started our junior year." Haley reminded Peyton.

"You're absolutely correct tutor girl. That was why we stopped doing it because we didn't have enough time for this which has been a tradition since long. So, I just thought we could do it again tonight just to reflect on how our life has been since we started junior year. I've made all the chits and they contain questions about events that happened during our two years in high school. Each one of us will take turns to pick out a chit and whatever question the chit carries the one who picks it has to answer." Brooke finished proudly.

"Ok, then lets freshen some memories. What are we waiting for?" Rachel started. "I'll make the first pick."

The girls sat on the carpeted floor making a circle and kept the questioning bowl in the center. Rachel made the first pick and opened her chit excitedly.

"What does it read, Rachel?" Haley asked.

"It says, what was the funniest thing that happened during the junior year?" Rachel replied.

"So?" Peyton looked at Rachel questioningly.

A huge grin spread across Rachel's face as the other three looked at her waiting for her answer. "It definitely has to be Peyton slapping Chris Kellar." Rachel answered. Haley and Brooke burst into fits of laughter while Peyton chuckled.

"Can you remember how that happened?" Rachel continued.

"How can I ever forget that?" Peyton said.

"Chris had spread rumors about him sleeping with Brooke because of which Kyle broke up with Brooke. Oh my god, Brooke was so devastated that she couldn't even stop crying. Then Peyton went to Chris and slapped him in the corridor right in front of everyone. She even made him say that it was all a lie. The look on Chris Kellar's face at that precise moment was so priceless." Rachel finished.

"And I still cannot believe I was devastated because Kyle broke up with me. To tell you guys the truth, I'm glad we broke up then. Can you believe how much of an ass Kyle has become recently?" Brooke added still laughing.

"I agree Brooke, you deserve so much better than a guy who dumps you just cause a random jerk spreads rumors about you cheating on him. That is pathetic." Haley said.

"His face. Chris' face when I slapped him. He looked like he was going to burst out crying." Peyton said and all of them dissolved into laughter again.

"Ok then, who wants to go next?" Brooke asked once they had stopped laughing after making all the fun in the world of Chris Kellar.

"Me." Haley opted.

"Ok then pick a chit." Brooke handed Haley the questioning bowl. Haley made her pick and kept the bowl in the center again.

As soon as Haley read her question she frowned. "What does it read, Hales?" Peyton asked.

"What was your first time like?" Haley said.

"Oh, so that question was not meant for you. You can make another choice." Brooke added immediately..

Haley was still a virgin. She had decided that she would remain one till she got married. Haley wanted her first time to be on her wedding night with the love of her life. If it was anybody else, then they wouldn't have understood but it was Haley James we were talking about. Haley was the biggest prude ever. But they didn't say anything to Haley about it because they knew Haley would never change her decision and they respected that.

Haley quickly picked another one and read the question out aloud. "Who do you think is the hottest guy in Tree Hill High?" "Now you cannot back out of this one Haley." Rachel said. "Umm, I don't know." Haley replied. "Come on Haley, we all know there is this certain someone that you think is hot. Spill." Brooke said. "Right Brooke, someone whose name maybe starts with "N"?" Peyton backed Brooke.

"What? I don't have a crush on Nathan Scott." Haley gasped.

"Who said anything about Nathan Scott and a crush? You said it yourself Haley. Haley still has a crush on Nathan. Haley still has a crush on Nathan." Brooke continued.

"Hey come on that was a long time ago and it was not even a crush." Haley tried to defend herself but to no avail.

"Haley still has a crush on Nathan. Haley still has a crush on Nathan. Haley still has a crush on Nathan. Haley still has a crush on Nathan. Haley still has a cru – " Brooke was interrupted by a very annoyed Haley.

"Yes, I do. Are you guys happy now?" Haley said in one breath.

"Hey Haley chill. We were just pulling your leg." Brooke said.

"So, somebody has a crush on Nathan Scott, huh?" Rachel asked mischievously.

Haley who had calmed down blushed. "Well, he's got amazing eyes." Peyton continued the teasing.

"Whatever. It is useless now. We're going different ways and never seeing each other again so it doesn't even matter any more."

"My dear friend, have some faith in destiny. As I always say, people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end." Brooke said sincerely.

"Exactly. Who knows one day Nathan Scott might just qualify to become your very own prince charming." Rachel added.

"Save some drama for New York Rachel." Haley said jokingly.

"Oh. Don't worry New York is not going to be deprived of my drama however much I try to." Rachel beamed.

"That is so true." Peyton added sarcastically. "Anyways, Haley if you ever wanna talk about this then we're gonna be there, alrite?" she continued.

"I know you guys are going to be there." Haley replied cheerfully. "Ok then now who wants to go next?"

"I think I don't want to be the last one." Peyton said as she picked out a chit.

"Did you find someone special these past two years?" Peyton said.

"Yup, I did find someone special." Peyton continued. "I found Jake."

"Awww Peyton, you and Jake are like the cutest couple ever. We're really happy for you guys, you know." Brooke said it as if she were a little girl.

"Ya, Peyton I hope the whole long distance thing works out for you two." Rachel added.

"Ya, I hope so too." Peyton said. Jake was going to UNC which meant they couldn't be together as much as they were now.

"Hey girl, cheer up. We're sure you guys will be just fine. I mean you two are totally in love and I've never seen anybody this young so much in love." Haley finished.

"That is one of the reason I'm so afraid. Well yeah, we're in love but I don't know if the whole long distance thing is going to work." Peyton said sadly. "Peyton, you know right that I never lie. I just tell you the truth. Well listen to me, if it was any other couple then I would've had serious doubt about the long distance thing but it is you and Jake we're talking about. Trust me, you guys will make it through." Rachel reassured her friend.

"Besides Jake isn't like most of the guys. He's so faithful to you. I'd say you don't have anything to worry about unless you cheat on him." Brooke winked at Peyton.

Peyton smiled. She loved her best friends so much and yes, they were right no matter how afraid she was of being away from Jake, no matter how insecure she was, she knew that they were going to make it through just fine.

"Thanks guys. Ok then looks like next up is B. Davis." Peyton said regaining her cheerfulness.

"Yes." Brooke squealed and made her pick.

"How was your senior prom like?" Brooke read.

"Well, it was not that bad." Brooke said modestly.

"Not bad? Brooke Davis whom are you kidding? Senior Prom had been a blast especially for you. Did you forget that you were voted the prom queen?" Peyton roared.

"Well if you put it that way, it was great." Brooke said innocently.

"And did you forget who was voted the prom king?" Haley started her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Was it Tim?" Brooke acted dumbfounded.

"That's it. Somebody call an ambulance something's wrong with Brooke." Peyton said jokingly.

"I know you haven't forgotten any of it but in case you have then it was Lucas Scott. I could not believe when he was announced the prom king, you know, I had expected Nathan to be the prom king. I mean Lucas is hot and all that but the guy's too shy." Rachel said.

"Maybe girls find his shyness hot; I guess the more girls he turns down the more girls find him irresistible. The guy's beyond my understanding. Are Nathan and Lucas even brothers? Sometimes I seriously doubt it. They are like the complete opposite of one another, at least when it comes to girls." Peyton added.

"Come on, Broody isn't that bad he's just shy." Brooke tried to defend Lucas.

"Look who's talking now." Haley smirked.

"B. Davis spill. Tell us, honestly, how was the senior prom although we already know the answer to that question. Just following the rules of the questioning bowl which clearly states that the one who picks the question shall answer." Rachel said.

"Well honestly, it was great. Everything about the senior prom was great, wasn't it? I mean all our dresses, the decoration of the gym and of course the part about me being crowned the prom queen and prom king and prom queen doing the first dance. It just was really great." Brooke said with a dreamy look on her face.

"Seriously, I was surprised that Lucas didn't faint when he danced with you. I, once heard that his temperature rose to 104°C just after a girl kissed him on the cheek." Haley said amused.

"Rumors are just rumors, Haley. They're never true." Brooke said matter-of-factly.

"Rachel, Peyton, is it just me or somebody seems to be defending Lucas Scott a little too much." Haley looked questioningly at Brooke.

"What you guys? Don't look at me like that." Brooke tried to cover her face with a pillow.

"Brooke, you can hide it as much as you want but we can see that you clearly have some feelings for Lucas." Haley said.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you….."

"GUYS STOP IT! There has to be a better way to dissolve this thing." Rachel burst.

"What are you guys? Ten year olds? Come on, grow up!" Peyton added.

"Haley started it. You guys know it." Brooke pouted.

"You are the one who is lying right to our face." Haley retorted.

"Ok! Girls listen to me. First of all Haley, if Brooke says she doesn't have any feelings for Lucas then it must be true…….."

"Actually, I do kinda like Lucas." Brooke said as a pang of guilt took over her. "I'm sorry Haley, I shouldn't have argued with you. I was just taken so aback when you accused me of liking him."

"It's ok Brooke. You shouldn't be sorry. I should've left it. You would tell us when you were ready. As a matter of fact, I'm sorry for being so nosy."

Haley and Brooke smiled at each other. "OK! Now that the fight is over, can we talk about the latest love interest of our very own B. Davis?" Rachel said.

"Ok Rachel, you got it wrong. I don't even have a crush on him so you calling him my love interest is way too far-fetched. I just like him. I mean I don't even know why but I do. Actually, it's not even that big a deal. It's nothing." Brooke tried to correct Rachel.

"Is that so? Because I saw you eyeing him in the graduation today and it didn't look like nothing. It was definitely something." Rachel snapped back.

"Whatever." Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Brooke Davis, whatever you say now could be used against you. You've already spilled that you do have some feelings for the "shy guy" and we're not believing now if you say that you don't like him." Peyton stated.

"Listen guys." Brooke sat upright and put the pillow on her lap. "Whatever I feel or say doesn't matter anymore. Today we graduated, remember? There is no way in hell that I have a chance with him now and even if I did I wouldn't take it."

"And why would that be?" Haley questioned while trying to throw pop corn at Peyton who was waiting with her mouth wide open.

"I don't know. He's too shy I guess. I mean he probably needs a lot of time to come of out of his shell." Brooke said casually.

"What if Lucas Scott was not as shy? What if _he _asked you out? What would you say then?" Peyton instigated.

"If that happens then I'll have to think. Look, can we please stop talking about Lucas Scott? Come on people, we're having this great sleepover which might be the last one ever for all of us and all we've got to talk about is Lucas Scott? Now that is pretty pathetic." Brooke said getting annoyed with all the questioning.

"Ok, Brooke calm down. We were just trying to help there. If you want to let it go then it's fine." Peyton tried to calm Brooke.

"One last thing though Brooke, you told me that people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end. I want you to believe that too." Haley told Brooke.

"And I do believe in it guys. I just don't think that Lucas Scott is the guy for me." Brooke tried to convince them.

"If you say so." Haley replied.

After a while, the girls started talking about other things. Things they would miss about Tree Hill, things that they were going to do in New York, things that they would achieve in their future and so on. While everyone else was chatting happily, Brooke was pretending to be fast asleep but she was thinking about something she always told her friends. People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end. She strongly believed in that. She knew that if she and Lucas Scott were meant to be together then they would meet again.

A/N: Guys please review. Tell me what you think about it.

XOXO

asmita


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